Method to detect and counteract suspicious activity in an application environment

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, comparing an input received from a peripheral device associated with an execution of a gaming application with a threshold value, wherein the threshold value is based on a first identification of a first user, a second identification of the peripheral device, and a third identification of stimuli presented as part of the execution of the gaming application. Responsive to the comparing, a determination may be made that the input exceeds the threshold value. Responsive to the determination, a validation request may be transmitted to a user device of the first user. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure generally relates to a detection of suspiciousactivity, and more specifically, to a detection and counteraction ofplayer fraud in a gaming environment.

BACKGROUND

The number and extent of environments where humans interact with devicesis increasing as the world continues to become more connected. However,technology has failed to keep pace with this increasingly-connectedworld. For example, in the context of gaming, technology for detectingplayer fraud and collusion has not kept pace. In large venue scenarios,the proctoring of many players in parallel may miss inputs that aredigital in nature (e.g., macros, enhanced keyboard, etc.). In remoteplayer scenarios, the capability for (unauthorized) individuals tostand-in or impersonate other players is growing but detection of suchactivities is nascent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limitingembodiment of a communications network in accordance with variousaspects described herein.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a system functioning within the communication network ofFIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIGS. 2B-2C depict illustrative embodiments of methods in accordancewith various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2D depicts an illustrative embodiment of a user device inaccordance with aspects described herein.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a virtualized communication network in accordance withvarious aspects described herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of amobile network platform in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of acommunication device in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for determining or detecting when a user of a device isengaging in potentially suspicious activity. Aspects of the disclosuremay be to identify a user that is engaging in an unauthorized activity,such as, for example, cheating, committing fraud, etc. Other embodimentsare described in the subject disclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include obtaining a firstidentification of an application and a second identification thatcomprises an identification of inputs associated with an execution ofthe application. The second identification may be based on the firstidentification. In some embodiments, at least one of the inputs isassociated with a threshold. The inputs may be monitored during anexecution of the application to determine whether the threshold isexceeded. Responsive to determining that the threshold is exceeded, athird identification of a user may be generated and stored. The thirdidentification may be associated with one or more of the inputs and/orstimuli associated with the execution of the application.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include establishing amodel of an execution of the application. The model may be based on asimulation or trial-run of the application. The model may be based onfeatures related to one or more identified users. In some embodiments, avalue for one or more thresholds may be established based on the model.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include monitoring anexecution of an application for potentially suspicious (e.g.,fraudulent) activity. In some embodiments, the application may comprisea game (e.g., a video game). Inputs to the game may be monitored, wherethe inputs may include actions taken with respect to one or moredevices, such as, for example, a console (e.g., a gaming console), aperipheral device, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a communications network 100 inaccordance with various aspects described herein. For example,communications network 100 can facilitate in whole or in part obtaininga first identification of an application and a second identificationthat comprises an identification of inputs associated with an executionof the application. In some embodiments, at least one of the inputs isassociated with a threshold. The inputs may be monitored during anexecution of the application to determine whether the threshold isexceeded. Responsive to determining that the threshold is exceeded, auser associated with the inputs may be identified. One or more actionsmay be taken with respect to the identified user as described furtherbelow.

As shown in FIG. 1, a communications network 125 is presented forproviding broadband access 110 to a plurality of data terminals 114 viaaccess terminal 112, wireless access 120 to a plurality of mobiledevices 124 and vehicle 126 via base station or access point 122, voiceaccess 130 to a plurality of telephony devices 134, via switching device132 and/or media access 140 to a plurality of audio/video displaydevices 144 via media terminal 142. In addition, communication network125 is coupled to one or more content sources 175 of audio, video,graphics, text and/or other media. While broadband access 110, wirelessaccess 120, voice access 130 and media access 140 are shown separately,one or more of these forms of access can be combined to provide multipleaccess services to a single client device (e.g., mobile devices 124 canreceive media content via media terminal 142, data terminal 114 can beprovided voice access via switching device 132, and so on).

The communications network 125 includes a plurality of network elements(NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. for facilitating the broadband access 110,wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or thedistribution of content from content sources 175. The communicationsnetwork 125 can include a circuit switched or packet switched network, avoice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network, Internet protocol (IP)network, a cable network, a passive or active optical network, a 4G, 5G,or higher generation wireless access network, WIMAX network,UltraWideband network, personal area network or other wireless accessnetwork, a broadcast satellite network and/or other communicationsnetwork.

In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include a digitalsubscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem terminationsystem (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other access terminal.The data terminals 114 can include personal computers, laptop computers,netbook computers, tablets or other computing devices along with digitalsubscriber line (DSL) modems, data over coax service interfacespecification (DOCSIS) modems or other cable modems, a wireless modemsuch as a 4G, 5G, or higher generation modem, an optical modem and/orother access devices.

In various embodiments, the base station or access point 122 can includea 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station, an access point thatoperates via an 802.11 standard such as 802.11n, 802.11ac or otherwireless access terminal. The mobile devices 124 can include mobilephones, e-readers, tablets, phablets, wireless modems, and/or othermobile computing devices.

In various embodiments, the switching device 132 can include a privatebranch exchange or central office switch, a media services gateway, VoIPgateway or other gateway device and/or other switching device. Thetelephony devices 134 can include traditional telephones (with orwithout a terminal adapter), VoIP telephones and/or other telephonydevices.

In various embodiments, the media terminal 142 can include a cablehead-end or other TV head-end, a satellite receiver, gateway or othermedia terminal 142. The display devices 144 can include televisions withor without a set top box, personal computers and/or other displaydevices.

In various embodiments, the content sources 175 include broadcasttelevision and radio sources, video on demand platforms and streamingvideo and audio services platforms, one or more content data networks,data servers, web servers and other content servers, and/or othersources of media.

In various embodiments, the communications network 125 can includewired, optical and/or wireless links and the network elements 150, 152,154, 156, etc. can include service switching points, signal transferpoints, service control points, network gateways, media distributionhubs, servers, firewalls, routers, edge devices, switches and othernetwork nodes for routing and controlling communications traffic overwired, optical and wireless links as part of the Internet and otherpublic networks as well as one or more private networks, for managingsubscriber access, for billing and network management and for supportingother network functions.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a system 200 a functioning within the communicationnetwork of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects described herein.As shown in FIG. 2A, the system 200 a may include a behavior learningmodule 204 a, a validation module 208 a, a counter-measures module 212a, and a post-mortem module 216 a. The modules 204 a-216 a may beoperative in conjunction with one or more devices or components, suchas, for example, one or more of the devices or components describedherein. In some embodiments, the modules 204 a-216 a may be operative inconnection with one or more user sensors 1, one or more input devices 2,and one or more engines (e.g., game engine 3) as shown in FIG. 2A and asdescribed further below.

The behavior learning module 204 a may be used to learn the behaviors ofone or more users. For example, in the context of a gaming application,the behavior learning module 204 a may be used to generate or obtain amodel/profile of one or more user behaviors. Such user behaviors mayinclude an actuation of one or more inputs in connection with one ormore devices or components (e.g., a console, a peripheral device, etc.).In some embodiments, the model may be generated or obtained inaccordance with a trial-run or simulation of the application.

The behavior learning module 204 a may include an individual interactioninput and correlation module 204 a-1. As shown in FIG. 2A, the module204 a-1 may include a personal model and an identification of physicalcharacteristics.

The personal model of the module 204 a-1 may be based on userinteractions/behaviors during a trial-run or simulation of an executionof an application. For example, in connection with an execution of agame a user (e.g., a gamer) may be tasked with playing the game a numberof times in order to establish a log/history of how the user reacts tovarious scenarios or situations presented during gameplay by the gameengine 3. Such a log/history may establish a user's likely/probabilisticbehavioral patterns in response to various stimuli presented duringgameplay. The log/history may establish actions that a user may take inresponse to the stimuli (e.g., actuation of an identified device inresponse to the stimuli), a response-time to the stimuli (e.g., how longit takes the user to respond to the stimuli once the stimuli ispresented), etc. The input devices 2, which may include peripheraldevices (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a remote control, agamepad, a headset, etc.), may be monitored during the simulation aspart of establishing the log/history.

The physical characteristics included with the module 204 a-1 may bebased on outputs of the sensors 1. For example, a camera may monitor auser's gaze to determine where a user tends to look during game actionpresented on a display device. A thermometer (or other measurementdevice) may be used to correlate a user's body temperature to stimulipresented during the simulation/gameplay. A microphone may detect auser's tone in response to the stimuli. Other types of sensors/sensedevents may be used/detected in conjunction with the physicalcharacteristics of the module 204 a-1.

The behavior learning module 204 a may include a population interactioninput correlation module 204 a-2. The module 204 a-2 may be used toassess how a particular user associated/identified in connection withthe module 204 a-1 responds to stimuli relative to a broader/largerpopulation of users (e.g., gamers). For example, the module 204 a-2 mayinclude a model/game behavior baseline as shown in FIG. 2A. The gamebehavior baseline may include a specification of a model in terms of howusers typically react to various stimuli (or combinations of stimuli)presented during gameplay. Similarly, the module 204 a-2 may include aphysical characteristics (module) that may include a specification ofphysical/sensed characteristics of a typical user relative to stimulipresented during gameplay.

The personal model of the module 204 a-1 may be compared with the gamebehavior baseline of the module 204 a-2 to determine/assess how a useridentified in connection with the personal model performs/behaves interms of responding to stimuli relative to the broader population.Similarly, the physical characteristics of the module 204 a-1 may becompared with the physical characteristics of the module 204 a-2 todetermines/assess how the identified user physical characteristicschange/adapt in response to stimuli relative to the broader population.Based on these comparisons, a profile may be established for a user,where the parameters of the profile serve as a signature that uniquelyidentifies/distinguishes the user from other users.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the module 204 a-2 may include a semi-random simpleassertion module. The semi-random simple assertion module may provide arandom prompt to a base of users in order to gauge user responses tothat prompt. The prompt may be generated and disseminated/distributed tofurther clarify/refine one or more models or specifications that may begenerated in connection with the behavior learning module 204 a.

In some embodiments, as part of engaging in one or more simulations thesystem 200 a (e.g., a gaming system) may be initialized for typical use(e.g., typical gameplay). For example, a configuration for the systemmay be obtained. The configuration may include a specification of one ormore networks that may be used, an identification of devices (e.g., agaming console, peripheral devices, etc.) that are used, etc. In thecontext of a game, cross-game models of related games may be obtained(e.g., imported. The cross-game models may be used as bootstraps fordetecting suspicious (e.g., fraudulent) activities/behaviors inconnection with an execution/playing of the game as described furtherbelow.

As described herein, there are various types of suspicious activitiesthat may be detected in accordance with the system 200 a (e.g., thebehavior learning module 204 a). For example, a determination may bemade that a first user is impersonating a second user (which may bebased on teleoperations or an in-person tag-in for alternateplayers/gamers). A determination may be made that a first user isobtaining unauthorized/illegal assistance from a second user or otherthird parties (which may be based on a networked or collocated passingof an information request). A determination may be made that a firstuser is engaged in collusion with one or more other users (which may bebased on detecting one or more users working contrary to typical goalsof a sub-group, such as, for example, the first user providing aresource to a second user that would otherwise benefit the first user).A determination may be made that a first user is using macros orautomated software (e.g., which may be based on detecting actuations(e.g., keystrokes) of input devices at abnormal rates of speed),cheating by a macro, hacked code, or software assistance, or acombination thereof. In some embodiments, a determination may be madethat a first user has made changes/alterations to a game code or rulesprogrammatically (which may be based on validation of anti-tamperingcodes or software).

As part of (actual or simulated) gameplay, the validation module 208 amay be used to verify/validate that a user allegedly playing in a gameis actually the person playing the game. In this respect, the validationmodule 208 a may include a human authentication module 208 a-1. Themodule 208 a-1 may include one or more devices/sensors, such as, forexample, a programmable camera (which may be operative in conjunctionwith facial or hand scanning/recognition algorithms), a microphone(which may be operative in conjunction with voice recognitiontechnology/algorithms), a biometric sensor (e.g., a retinal scanningdevice, a breathalyzer, a fingerprint scanner, a thermometer, etc.). Themodule 208 a-1 may receive inputs that are indicative of (physicalqualities/characteristics of) the user that is allegedly playing in thegame. Those inputs may be compared against a database/library ofphysical characteristics that are stored for the user (e.g., potentiallyas part of the module 204 a-1 described above). The comparison mayyield/generate one or more values that may be compared against one ormore thresholds in order to determine whether it is likely/probable thatthe user that is allegedly playing the game is actually the personplaying the game.

In some embodiments, the module 208 a-1 may include a multi-partydetection module. The multi-party detection module may examine/analyzephysical characteristics and/or behaviors/responses to stimuli (e.g.,patterns in terms of actuation of input devices in response to gamescenarios) presented during gameplay to determine whether it islikely/probably that a user that is allegedly playing in the game isreceiving unauthorized/illegal assistance from one or more additionalusers. The determination may be based on a comparison with one or moreof the models/specifications/profiles generated in connection with thebehavior learning module 204 a described above.

The validation module 208 a may include a digital and environment module208 a-2 that may be used to ensure that a user has not tampered with thesystem hardware, software, or firmware. For example, the module 208 a-2may perform one or more checks against the game engine 3 to ensure thatthe game engine 3 is not tampered with during gameplay. Additionally,the module 208 a-2 may monitor network traffic to identify abnormalitiesin terms of patterns or volumes/amounts of data traversing a network.The validations/checks performed by the module 208 a-2 may be based on acomparison of one or more parameters with one or more thresholds.

In some embodiments, the validation module 208 a may correlateactivities of the game engine 3 with user inputs. For example, themodule 208 a may validate controllers used in connection with gameplaybased on the correlation of such activities.

In some embodiments, the validation module 208 a (e.g., the humanauthentication module 208 a-1) may examine outputs of a user-facingcamera (e.g., a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera) to correlate physicalmovements of a user with gameplay.

In some embodiments, the validation module 208 a (the humanauthentication module 208 a-1) may include an audio sensor that maycompare a voice input to a voice baseline/signature (e.g., to detectimpersonation or a mid-game player/user swap).

In some embodiments, models established for one or more users orapplications (e.g., games), potentially as part of the behavior learningmodule 204 a, may be adapted as additional inputs are received(potentially in conjunction with the validation module 208 a). In thisrespect, the system 200 a may incorporate aspects of machine learning inorder to enhance the accuracy of correlating user based/derived inputsrelative to expected/anticipated user inputs. Thus, increaseduse/operation of the system 200 a may increase the integrity/confidenceassociated with the gameplay. Stated slightly differently, increaseduse/operation of the system 200 a may make it more difficult to cheat orengage in fraud in conjunction with the system 200 a (all otherconditions being equal).

In some embodiments, the validation module 208 a (e.g., the digital andenvironment module 208 a-2) may generate one or more prompts/requests ifsuspicious activity is detected. For example, unknown or unusualinteractions (e.g., innocuous appearing icons or bots) may be generatedthat a human might normally dismiss but a pre-trained fraud detectioncircumvention model may not know how to counteract. In some embodiments,aspects of a captcha or a two-factor authentication (2FA) technique maybe implemented by the validation module 208 a. The validation module 208a may present one or more queries to which a user is expected tofurnish/provide a response.

In some embodiments, validation performed by the validation module 208 amay be performed in response to one or more particular events (e.g., astart of a game, an end/conclusion of a game, detection of suspiciousactivity). In some embodiments, the validation performed by thevalidation module 208 a may be performed in response to a user request(e.g., at the request of a moderator/proctor or another user). Thevalidation may be performed as part of an audit, potentially as part ofcertifying results of the game.

The system 200 a may include the counter-measures module 212 a to engagecounter-measures in response to detecting suspicious activity. Themodule 212 a may include a detection prioritization module forprioritizing which activities to monitor. The detection prioritizationmodule may allocate resources amongst activities or users in accordancewith one or more algorithms. For example, if a winner of a first gamereceives a prize or other compensation and a winner of a second gamedoes not receive a prize or compensation, more resources may beallocated towards monitoring the gameplay associated with the first gamerelative to the second game given the incentives involved. Stillfurther, if a particular user or game has a history/historical record ofsuspicious activities in association therewith, more resources may beallocated to that user or game accordingly. Priority or frequency ofdetection/examination may be controlled/regulated as behaviors approachan anomalous condition.

The counter-measure module 212 a may include a fraud notificationmodule. The fraud notification module may select a type of technique forcommunication fraud or other types of suspicious activities. Forexample, the fraud notification module may communicate with one or moredevices or users regarding a status of activities monitored duringgameplay. The notification(s) provided by the fraud notification modulemay include communications in one or more formats, such as, for example,an email, a text message, a text report, a graphical indication (e.g.,an emoji or emoticon), an audio alert, a video, etc.

The counter-measures module 212 a may provide control (e.g., remotecontrol) of one or more capture sensors. For example, responsive to adetection of suspicious activities, the counter-measures module 212 amay direct a camera, a microphone, a biometric sensor, etc., to collect(additional) data regarding a particular user or an environment in whichthe particular user is located. In some embodiments, the control of thesensors/devices may be passive in the sense that the user might beunaware of the existence of the sensor and/or might be unaware that thesensors/devices are active/enabled. In some embodiments, thesensors/devices may engage in integrity tests/validations of one or moredevices or pieces of equipment; for example, a piece of equipment may berequired to respond with a dynamic/adaptive password in response to oneor more challenge questions/queries. In some embodiments, an automatedchecksum on in-memory assets (including a functional input/output test)may be performed, and a scan may be performed for a modified device(e.g., a modified keyboard, mouse, haptic device, etc.). In someembodiments, integrity tests may be performed on one or more components,where the integrity checks might not be based on user feedback/inputs.One or more results associated with an integrity test may be analyzedand/or provided to another device (e.g., a server) for analysis.

In some embodiments, the counter-measures module 212 a may alert and/orpoll additional users and/or proctors/moderators when the activities ofa first user are suspect. In this manner, a wisdom-of-the-crowdsapproach may be used to determine a likelihood/probability that a useris indeed engaging in unauthorized/illegal activities.

The counter-measures module 212 a may propose validation requests(potentially to be carried out/executed by the validation module 208 a),which may require user interaction, in response to a detection ofsuspicious activities. For example, simple problems (e.g., math,captcha) or 2FA techniques may be used. In some embodiments, a polygraphmay be administrated with specific questions particular to a user'shistory. Biometric validation techniques may be recommended. Visual oraudio content may be presented that require user responses.

The counter-measures module 212 a may impose one or more penalties inresponse to detecting suspicious activities (e.g., fraud) and/or inresponse to confirming that the suspicious activities areimproper/unauthorized. For example, a restriction/limitation may beapplied to gameplay, resulting in a reduction in gameplay capabilities.In some embodiments, a user's ability to engage in communication (withina game environment, as part of a social media platform, etc.) may berestricted/limited. In some embodiments, a sanction (e.g., a publicshaming) may be imposed, such as, for example, a transmission and/or aposting of a message on a social media platform that identifies theuser(s) and/or games/applications. The amount of time that the user ispenalized or sanctioned may be a function of the activity that the userengaged in.

The post-mortem module 216 a may be used to adjust models (e.g.,statistical models) and record activities for subsequent review. Forexample, a record may be generated (potentially as part of a modelestablished for a user via the module 204 a) that documents/logssuspicious activity for, e.g., purposes of future monitoring/detection.

FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 200 b inaccordance with various aspects described herein. The method 200 b maybe at least partially executed in conjunction with one or more systems,devices, or components, such as, for example, the systems, devices, andcomponents described herein. The method 200 b may be executed forpurposes of tracking and documenting activities of a user during anexecution of an application. For example, the method 200 b may be usedto record suspicious activities that a user may engage in duringgameplay associated with a game.

In block 202 b, an identification (e.g., a first identification) of anapplication may be obtained. For example, the identification obtained inblock 202 b may correspond to a title of a game, an alphanumeric code,and the like. The identification obtained in block 202 b may uniquelydistinguish the application from other applications.

In block 208 b, an identification (e.g., a second identification) may beobtained. The identification obtained in block 208 b may correspond to,or include, an identification of devices that are used in conjunctionwith an execution of the application identified in block 202 b. In thisrespect, the identification obtained in block 208 b may be based on theidentification obtained as part of block 202 b. As an illustrativeexample, if the application referred to in block 202 b corresponds to agame, the identification obtained in block 208 b may correspond to anidentification of one or more networks, consoles, and/or peripheraldevices that may be used to play the game.

In block 214 b, execution of the application may be simulated(potentially as part of one or more training or trial-runs). Continuingthe above example, if the application corresponds to a game, thesimulation of block 214 b may present a user playing the game withvarious in-game scenarios/stimuli that the user is expected to respondto. The simulation of block 214 b may cause the user to actuate/exerciseone or more devices (e.g., peripheral devices) that may be identified aspart of block 208 b described above. The simulation of block 214 b maypertain to one or more users.

In block 220 b, one or more models may be generated for the user(s) thatengaged in the simulation associated with block 214 b. For example, amodel may include a specification/mapping of stimuli presented duringthe simulation to user responses to the stimuli. The model may includean indication of devices exercised/actuated in response to the stimuli,response times to the presentation of the stimuli, etc. A modelgenerated in block 220 b may be specific to a particular user (such thata unique user identifier may be used in connection with each model), aparticular device, etc. In some embodiments, a model generated in block220 b for a particular user may be at least partially based on apreexisting model for that user (potentially in conjunction with one ormore other applications). In some embodiments, as part of block 220 b amodel may be generated that is representative of a plurality of users, aplurality of devices, and/or a plurality of networks.

In block 226 b, one or more of the inputs (identified as part of block208 b) may be associated with one or more thresholds. Values for thethreshold(s) may be established based on the model(s) generated as partof block 220 b. For example, if a first user demonstrates during a firstsimulation (of block 214 b) that the first user is very skilled/talentedin using a peripheral device, a first threshold value may be establishedfor the first user for that peripheral device. Similarly, if a seconduser demonstrates during a second simulation (of block 214 b) that thesecond user is not skilled/talented in using the peripheral device, asecond threshold value may be established for the second user for thatperipheral device, where the second threshold value is different fromthe first threshold value. While shown as a separate block in FIG. 2B,the association of the threshold values with the input(s) in block 226 bmay be included as part of block 220 b in some embodiments.

In block 232 b, the application may be executed. Continuing the aboveexample, if the application corresponds to a game, the game may actuallybe played. Inputs/behaviors/responses may be monitored during theexecution of the application to identify activities (e.g., suspiciousactivities).

In block 238 b, a determination may be made whether the monitored inputsof block 232 b exceed the threshold(s) established in block 226 b. Ifthe threshold(s) is/are not exceeded (e.g., the “no” path is taken fromblock 238 b), flow may proceed from block 238 b to block 232 b tocontinue monitoring the inputs. On the other hand, if the threshold(s)is/are exceeded (e.g., the “yes” path is taken from block 238 b), flowmay proceed from block 238 b to block 244 b.

In block 244 b, a report may be generated that documents, e.g., thevalue(s) of the input(s) that are detected/monitored as part of block232 b, one or more identifications (e.g., a third identification) of theuser(s) supplying/providing those input(s), the stimuli that waspresented during the execution of the application that elicitedthat/those input(s), and any other details that may be pertinent toexamining/analyzing the activities of the user(s). As part of block 244b, one or more alerts may be generated to inform, e.g., amoderator/proctor (or any other person or device) of the existence ofsuspicious activity.

In block 250 b, execution of the application may be modified based onthe determination/detection that the threshold(s) was/were exceeded aspart of block 238 b. For example, and as described above, a penalty orsanction may be imposed on the user(s) depending on the nature of theactivities that the user(s) engaged in. In some embodiments, the user(s)and/or the hardware, software, or firmware used by the user(s) may besubject to one or more of the validations/tests described herein as partof block 250 b. For example, the user(s) and/or devices/user equipmentmay have to pass a test in order to continue playing in a game. As partof block 250 b, one or more of the models generated as part of block 220b may be modified in accordance with the input(s) of block 232 b.

FIG. 2C depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 200 c inaccordance with various aspects described herein. The method 200 c maybe at least partially executed in conjunction with one or more systems,devices, or components, such as, for example, the systems, devices, andcomponents described herein. The method 200 c may be executed forpurposes of tracking and documenting activities of a user during anexecution of an application. For example, the method 200 c may be usedto establish whether one or more users or devices are engaging inparticular activities during gameplay associated with a game. If suchactivities are detected, the method 200 c may be used to validate a useror device as appropriate under the circumstances.

In block 202 c, a selection of an application may be received. Forexample, the selection of block 202 c may pertain to or identify aparticular application from a plurality of applications.

In block 208 c, one or more identifiers/identifications may be obtained.The identifications of block 208 c may pertain to one or more usersand/or one or more devices. The identifications of block 208 c may bebased on the selected application of block 202 c. The identifications ofblock 208 c may include one or more of a username and password, apersonal identification number (PIN), a make, model, and/or serialnumber associated with a device, etc.

In block 214 c, a simulation of an execution of the selected applicationmay be presented. For example, and assuming that the selectedapplication pertains to a game, the simulation of block 214 c maypresent a user playing the game with various in-game scenarios/stimulithat the user is expected to respond to. The simulation of block 214 cmay cause the user to actuate/exercise one or more devices (e.g.,peripheral devices) that may be identified as part of block 208 cdescribed above. The simulation of block 214 c may facilitate thegeneration of one or more models as described above.

In block 220 c, the application selected as part of block 202 c may beexecuted. For example, in the context of a game the application may beexecuted to facilitate gameplay amongst one or moreusers/players/gamers. Execution of the application may entail/includepresenting one or more in-game scenarios/stimuli and receiving inputs(e.g., user inputs, device inputs, etc.) in response to that stimuli. Aspart of block 220 c, the inputs may be provided (e.g., transmitted) to,e.g., a server or other device for further analysis. In someembodiments, the inputs may be analyzed locally (e.g., as part of one ormore algorithms executed by a user device, a gaming console, etc.).

In block 226 c, a validation request may be obtained. For example, thevalidation request may be received or generated periodically. Thevalidation request may be received or generated based on the executionof the application and the inputs received as part of block 220 c. Forexample, the validation requests may be generated based on the inputssuggesting that suspicious activity may be afoot/in-progress. Thevalidation request may pertain to one or more users and/or one or moredevices.

In block 232 c, a response to the validation requested may be obtained(e.g., received or generated). As part of block 232 c, the response maybe provided (e.g., transmitted) to, e.g., a server or other device forfurther analysis.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIGS. 2B-2C,it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matteris not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein. While the methods200 b and 200 c are shown separately for the sake of illustrativeconvenience, in some embodiments one or more aspects of a first of themethods may be combined with one or more aspects of the other of themethods.

Aspects of the disclosure may be used to monitor (e.g., passively and/oractively monitor) user behavior. For example, in the context of a game(e.g., an online, multiplayer video game), user behaviors and in-gameactions may be monitored to detect suspicious activities and counteractthose activities as warranted/desired. Aspects of the disclosure mayestablish and rely upon data-driven baselines that can be reused whennew/additional game scenarios are created/encountered. For example,baseline behaviors and input models may be generated passively byobserving/analyzing live and historical gameplay records. Automated andsemi-automated strategies may be adopted to validate users and userbehaviors. For example, multiple types of suspicious (e.g., fraudulent)activities may be detected/identified and counter-measures may beengaged for responding to the identified activities. Learned behaviorsin a first environment (e.g., a first game) may be leveraged/applied toadditional environment (e.g., additional games), providing for a highdegree of reusability and robustness, thereby reducingtraining/simulation time and providing many points of comparison forusers, activities, etc.

Aspects of this disclosure may be used to detected suspicious (e.g.,fraudulent) activities, potentially in relation to complex human-machineinteractions. Aspects of the disclosure may be applied in connectionwith one or more signaling domains; for example, aspects of thedisclosure may be applied in connection with analog signals, digitalsignals, etc. Based on machine learning, user inputs/behaviors inresponse to stimuli may be recorded and may serve as a basis forcomparison in response to future events/stimuli.

Aspects of the disclosure may be applied to track resources/assets of agame and users/players of a game. Aspects of the disclosure may provideremote control over such assets or users, potentially in accordance withone or more teleoperation techniques.

In some embodiments, gameplay may be adapted based on detectingsuspicious activities. For example, in the context of a game involvingwar/battles, if a user has been detected as operating a weapon (e.g., acannon) at abnormally high rates of speed, that user may only bepresented with in-game scenarios that make the use of the weaponimpractical. In this manner, the user's ability to engage in unfairactivities may be restricted without necessarily accusing the user ofwrong-doing.

Aspects of the disclosure may be used to create/generate a marketplacewhere incremental automated modules or models may be adapted and soldfor use/application in connection with one or more games. In someembodiments, player behavior models/signatures may be created/generatedas part of a tutorial to assist novice gamers in developing theirskills. In this manner, expert users can effectively teach or coachbeginner users.

While some of the examples described herein pertain to gamingapplications (such as, for example, electronic sports or eSports),aspects of the disclosure may be applied in connection with otherapplication environments. For example, aspects of the disclosure may beapplied in connection with voting applications, test takingapplications, banking/finance applications, etc.

In some embodiments, a distributed ledger may be utilized to reconcileor validate user activities/behaviors. For example, blockchaintechnology may be utilized where a given activity/transaction may beverified/validated in accordance with a plurality of computing devices.

Aspects of the disclosure may incorporate X reality (XR) or crossreality technologies. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, XR orcross reality is a form of a mixed reality environment that comes from afusion/union of ubiquitous sensor/actuator networks and shared onlinevirtual worlds. XR technology may incorporate a wide spectrum ofhardware, software, and/or firmware, and may include one or more sensoryinterfaces, applications, and/or infrastructures, that enable contentcreation/generation/provisioning for virtual reality (VR), augmentedreality (AR), cinematic reality (CR), or a combination thereof. XRtechnology may be used to generate new or alternative forms of realityby incorporating objects (e.g., digital objects) into the physical worldand may bring physical objects into the digital world. In this respect,XR technology may incorporate aspects of a mixed reality (MR), wheretraditional dividing lines between the physical world and the digitalworld are blended, obscured, or even eliminated. XR technology mayincorporate visual/image data, audio data, or a combination thereof.

Aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in conjunction with one ormore devices, such as, for example, network elements, servers, userdevices, etc. For example, FIG. 2D is a block diagram illustrating anon-limiting embodiment of a headset 200 d functioning as a user devicein accordance with various aspects described herein. The headset 200 dmay be used to present one or more objects in accordance with XRtechnology. In some embodiments, the objects may be presented inconjunction with panoramic content (e.g., 360-degree videos).

Panoramic content may be recorded by omnidirectional cameras or cameraarray systems, and then “wrapped” onto at least a portion of athree-dimensional (3D) sphere (e.g., 3D sphere 202 d), with the camerasat or proximate a center 204 d of the sphere. When watching a panoramicvideo, a user/viewer at the spherical center 204 d can freely controlher viewing direction, so each playback may create a unique viewingexperience. The control of viewing directions may be achieved through,e.g., head movement when using a head-mounted device, hand/fingermovement when using a mobile/portable communication device (e.g., aphone or a tablet), a mouse click when using a laptop or desktopcomputer, or use of a remote control or trackball when using a displaydevice such as a television. Other techniques, such as, for example,gesture recognition, may be used. One or more combinations of thecontrols described above may be used.

As shown in FIG. 2D, a headset 200 d can be used to adjust a viewingorientation by changing the pitch, yaw, and/or roll, which correspond tomovement (e.g., rotation) along the super-imposed X, Y, and Z axes,respectively. The headset 200 d may support operations in accordancewith six degrees/dimensions of freedom. For example, the X, Y, and Zaxes collectively represent three dimensions of freedom, and movementalong any one of the axes (e.g., in a plus or minus direction)represents another degree/dimension of freedom.

Panoramic video and game players may compute and display the viewingarea based on the viewing orientation and the field of view (FoV). TheFoV defines the extent of an observable area 208 d, which may be a fixedor dynamic parameter of the headset 200 d. In an illustrativeembodiment, the observable area 208 d may be 110° horizontally (+/−10%)and 90° vertically (+/−10%). Other values of the observable area 208 dmay be used in some embodiments, where the values may be dependent on anapplication that is being simulated or executed.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram 300 is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized communication networkin accordance with various aspects described herein. In particular avirtualized communication network is presented that can be used toimplement some or all of the subsystems and functions of communicationnetwork 100, the subsystems and functions of the system 200 a, themethod 200 b, and the method 200 c, and the subsystems and functions ofthe device 200 d presented in FIGS. 1-2D. For example, virtualizedcommunication network 300 can facilitate in whole or in part obtaining afirst identification of a gaming application, obtaining a secondidentification of at least one peripheral device associated with anexecution of the gaming application, wherein the second identificationis based on the first identification, associating the secondidentification of the at least one peripheral device with a threshold,monitoring at least one input received from the at least one peripheraldevice during the execution of the gaming application to determinewhether the at least one input exceeds the threshold, and responsive todetermining that the at least one input exceeds the threshold, storing athird identification of a user in association with the at least oneinput. Virtualized communication network 300 can facilitate in whole orin part receiving a selection of an application included in a pluralityof applications, obtaining a first identification of a user and a secondidentification of a device associated with an execution of theapplication, presenting a simulation of an execution of the applicationto facilitate a generation of a model associated with the firstidentification and the second identification, executing the applicationsubsequent to the presenting of the simulation, receiving at least oneinput from the device during the executing of the application, andobtaining a validation request based on a comparison of the at least oneinput and the model. Virtualized communication network 300 canfacilitate in whole or in part comparing an input received from aperipheral device associated with an execution of a gaming applicationwith a threshold value, wherein the threshold value is based on a firstidentification of a first user, a second identification of theperipheral device, and a third identification of stimuli presented aspart of the execution of the gaming application, responsive to thecomparing, determining that the input exceeds the threshold value, andresponsive to the determining, transmitting, a validation request to auser device of the first user.

In particular, a cloud networking architecture is shown that leveragescloud technologies and supports rapid innovation and scalability via atransport layer 350, a virtualized network function cloud 325 and/or oneor more cloud computing environments 375. In various embodiments, thiscloud networking architecture is an open architecture that leveragesapplication programming interfaces (APIs); reduces complexity fromservices and operations; supports more nimble business models; andrapidly and seamlessly scales to meet evolving customer requirementsincluding traffic growth, diversity of traffic types, and diversity ofperformance and reliability expectations.

In contrast to traditional network elements—which are typicallyintegrated to perform a single function, the virtualized communicationnetwork employs virtual network elements (VNEs) 330, 332, 334, etc. thatperform some or all of the functions of network elements 150, 152, 154,156, etc. For example, the network architecture can provide a substrateof networking capability, often called Network Function VirtualizationInfrastructure (NFVI) or simply infrastructure that is capable of beingdirected with software and Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocolsto perform a broad variety of network functions and services. Thisinfrastructure can include several types of substrates. The most typicaltype of substrate being servers that support Network FunctionVirtualization (NFV), followed by packet forwarding capabilities basedon generic computing resources, with specialized network technologiesbrought to bear when general purpose processors or general purposeintegrated circuit devices offered by merchants (referred to herein asmerchant silicon) are not appropriate. In this case, communicationservices can be implemented as cloud-centric workloads.

As an example, a traditional network element 150 (shown in FIG. 1), suchas an edge router can be implemented via a VNE 330 composed of NFVsoftware modules, merchant silicon, and associated controllers. Thesoftware can be written so that increasing workload consumes incrementalresources from a common resource pool, and moreover so that it'selastic: so the resources are only consumed when needed. In a similarfashion, other network elements such as other routers, switches, edgecaches, and middle-boxes are instantiated from the common resource pool.Such sharing of infrastructure across a broad set of uses makes planningand growing infrastructure easier to manage.

In an embodiment, the transport layer 350 includes fiber, cable, wiredand/or wireless transport elements, network elements and interfaces toprovide broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130,media access 140 and/or access to content sources 175 for distributionof content to any or all of the access technologies. In particular, insome cases a network element needs to be positioned at a specific place,and this allows for less sharing of common infrastructure. Other times,the network elements have specific physical layer adapters that cannotbe abstracted or virtualized, and might require special DSP code andanalog front-ends (AFEs) that do not lend themselves to implementationas VNEs 330, 332 or 334. These network elements can be included intransport layer 350.

The virtualized network function cloud 325 interfaces with the transportlayer 350 to provide the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide specificNFVs. In particular, the virtualized network function cloud 325leverages cloud operations, applications, and architectures to supportnetworking workloads. The virtualized network elements 330, 332 and 334can employ network function software that provides either a one-for-onemapping of traditional network element function or alternately somecombination of network functions designed for cloud computing. Forexample, VNEs 330, 332 and 334 can include route reflectors, domain namesystem (DNS) servers, and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP)servers, system architecture evolution (SAE) and/or mobility managemententity (MME) gateways, broadband network gateways, IP edge routers forIP-VPN, Ethernet and other services, load balancers, distributers andother network elements. Because these elements don't typically need toforward large amounts of traffic, their workload can be distributedacross a number of servers—each of which adds a portion of thecapability, and overall which creates an elastic function with higheravailability than its former monolithic version. These virtual networkelements 330, 332, 334, etc. can be instantiated and managed using anorchestration approach similar to those used in cloud compute services.

The cloud computing environments 375 can interface with the virtualizednetwork function cloud 325 via APIs that expose functional capabilitiesof the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide the flexible and expandedcapabilities to the virtualized network function cloud 325. Inparticular, network workloads may have applications distributed acrossthe virtualized network function cloud 325 and cloud computingenvironment 375 and in the commercial cloud, or might simply orchestrateworkloads supported entirely in NFV infrastructure from these thirdparty locations.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a block diagram of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein. In order to provide additional context for various embodimentsof the embodiments described herein, FIG. 4 and the following discussionare intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitablecomputing environment 400 in which the various embodiments of thesubject disclosure can be implemented. In particular, computingenvironment 400 can be used in the implementation of network elements150, 152, 154, 156, access terminal 112, base station or access point122, switching device 132, media terminal 142, and/or VNEs 330, 332,334, etc. Each of these devices can be implemented viacomputer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers,and/or in combination with other program modules and/or as a combinationof hardware and software. For example, computing environment 400 canfacilitate in whole or in part obtaining a first identification of agaming application, obtaining a second identification of at least oneperipheral device associated with an execution of the gamingapplication, wherein the second identification is based on the firstidentification, associating the second identification of the at leastone peripheral device with a threshold, monitoring at least one inputreceived from the at least one peripheral device during the execution ofthe gaming application to determine whether the at least one inputexceeds the threshold, and responsive to determining that the at leastone input exceeds the threshold, storing a third identification of auser in association with the at least one input. Computing environment400 can facilitate in whole or in part receiving a selection of anapplication included in a plurality of applications, obtaining a firstidentification of a user and a second identification of a deviceassociated with an execution of the application, presenting a simulationof an execution of the application to facilitate a generation of a modelassociated with the first identification and the second identification,executing the application subsequent to the presenting of thesimulation, receiving at least one input from the device during theexecuting of the application, and obtaining a validation request basedon a comparison of the at least one input and the model. Computingenvironment 400 can facilitate in whole or in part comparing an inputreceived from a peripheral device associated with an execution of agaming application with a threshold value, wherein the threshold valueis based on a first identification of a first user, a secondidentification of the peripheral device, and a third identification ofstimuli presented as part of the execution of the gaming application,responsive to the comparing, determining that the input exceeds thethreshold value, and responsive to the determining, transmitting, avalidation request to a user device of the first user.

Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computersystems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can beoperatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

As used herein, a processing circuit includes one or more processors aswell as other application specific circuits such as an applicationspecific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit, state machine,programmable gate array or other circuit that processes input signals ordata and that produces output signals or data in response thereto. Itshould be noted that while any functions and features described hereinin association with the operation of a processor could likewise beperformed by a processing circuit.

The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be alsopracticed in distributed computing environments where certain tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which cancomprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media,which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows.Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implementedin connection with any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured dataor unstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to,random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electricallyerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or othermemory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digitalversatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devicesor other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to storedesired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or“non-transitory”herein as applied to storage, memory orcomputer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude onlypropagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquishrights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media thatare not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local orremote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or otherdata retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect tothe information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and comprises any informationdelivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signalsrefers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set orchanged in such a manner as to encode information in one or moresignals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication mediacomprise wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wiredconnection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and otherwireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 4, the example environment can comprise acomputer 402, the computer 402 comprising a processing unit 404, asystem memory 406 and a system bus 408. The system bus 408 couplessystem components including, but not limited to, the system memory 406to the processing unit 404. The processing unit 404 can be any ofvarious commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors andother multiprocessor architectures can also be employed as theprocessing unit 404.

The system bus 408 can be any of several types of bus structure that canfurther interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofcommercially available bus architectures. The system memory 406comprises ROM 410 and RAM 412. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can bestored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines thathelp to transfer information between elements within the computer 402,such as during startup. The RAM 412 can also comprise a high-speed RAMsuch as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 402 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 414(e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal HDD 414 can also be configured forexternal use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy diskdrive (FDD) 416, (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette418) and an optical disk drive 420, (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 422 or,to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such as theDVD). The HDD 414, magnetic FDD 416 and optical disk drive 420 can beconnected to the system bus 408 by a hard disk drive interface 424, amagnetic disk drive interface 426 and an optical drive interface 428,respectively. The hard disk drive interface 424 for external driveimplementations comprises at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus(USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies arewithin contemplation of the embodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media providenonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For the computer 402, the drives and storagemedia accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format.Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refersto a hard disk drive (HDD), a removable magnetic diskette, and aremovable optical media such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that other types of storage media which arereadable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flashmemory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the exampleoperating environment, and further, that any such storage media cancontain computer-executable instructions for performing the methodsdescribed herein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 412,comprising an operating system 430, one or more application programs432, other program modules 434 and program data 436. All or portions ofthe operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also becached in the RAM 412. The systems and methods described herein can beimplemented utilizing various commercially available operating systemsor combinations of operating systems.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 402 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 438 and apointing device, such as a mouse 440. Other input devices (not shown)can comprise a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a joystick,a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. These and otherinput devices are often connected to the processing unit 404 through aninput device interface 442 that can be coupled to the system bus 408,but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, anIEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port,an IR interface, etc.

A monitor 444 or other type of display device can be also connected tothe system bus 408 via an interface, such as a video adapter 446. Itwill also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 444can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display,a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving displayinformation associated with computer 402 via any communication means,including via the Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to themonitor 444, a computer typically comprises other peripheral outputdevices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 402 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 448. The remotecomputer(s) 448 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, apersonal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainmentappliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallycomprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer402, although, for purposes of brevity, only a remote memory/storagedevice 450 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprisewired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 452 and/orlarger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 454. Such LAN and WANnetworking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, andfacilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all ofwhich can connect to a global communications network, e.g., theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 402 can beconnected to the LAN 452 through a wired and/or wireless communicationnetwork interface or adapter 456. The adapter 456 can facilitate wiredor wireless communication to the LAN 452, which can also comprise awireless AP disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 456.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 402 can comprisea modem 458 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN454 or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN 454,such as by way of the Internet. The modem 458, which can be internal orexternal and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the systembus 408 via the input device interface 442. In a networked environment,program modules depicted relative to the computer 402 or portionsthereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 450. It willbe appreciated that the network connections shown are example and othermeans of establishing a communications link between the computers can beused.

The computer 402 can be operable to communicate with any wirelessdevices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portabledata assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment orlocation associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk,news stand, restroom), and telephone. This can comprise WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, thecommunication can be a predefined structure as with a conventionalnetwork or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bedin a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is awireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enablessuch devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out;anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radiotechnologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, ag, etc.) to providesecure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can beused to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wirednetworks (which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operatein the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, for example, or withproducts that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks canprovide real-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wiredEthernet networks used in many offices.

Turning now to FIG. 5, an embodiment 500 of a mobile network platform510 is shown that is an example of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156,and/or VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. For example, platform 510 can facilitatein whole or in part obtaining a first identification of a gamingapplication, obtaining a second identification of at least oneperipheral device associated with an execution of the gamingapplication, wherein the second identification is based on the firstidentification, associating the second identification of the at leastone peripheral device with a threshold, monitoring at least one inputreceived from the at least one peripheral device during the execution ofthe gaming application to determine whether the at least one inputexceeds the threshold, and responsive to determining that the at leastone input exceeds the threshold, storing a third identification of auser in association with the at least one input. Platform 510 canfacilitate in whole or in part receiving a selection of an applicationincluded in a plurality of applications, obtaining a firstidentification of a user and a second identification of a deviceassociated with an execution of the application, presenting a simulationof an execution of the application to facilitate a generation of a modelassociated with the first identification and the second identification,executing the application subsequent to the presenting of thesimulation, receiving at least one input from the device during theexecuting of the application, and obtaining a validation request basedon a comparison of the at least one input and the model. Platform 500can facilitate in whole or in part comparing an input received from aperipheral device associated with an execution of a gaming applicationwith a threshold value, wherein the threshold value is based on a firstidentification of a first user, a second identification of theperipheral device, and a third identification of stimuli presented aspart of the execution of the gaming application, responsive to thecomparing, determining that the input exceeds the threshold value, andresponsive to the determining, transmitting, a validation request to auser device of the first user.

In one or more embodiments, the mobile network platform 510 can generateand receive signals transmitted and received by base stations or accesspoints such as base station or access point 122. Generally, mobilenetwork platform 510 can comprise components, e.g., nodes, gateways,interfaces, servers, or disparate platforms, that facilitate bothpacket-switched (PS) (e.g., internet protocol (IP), frame relay,asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)) and circuit-switched (CS) traffic(e.g., voice and data), as well as control generation for networkedwireless telecommunication. As a non-limiting example, mobile networkplatform 510 can be included in telecommunications carrier networks, andcan be considered carrier-side components as discussed elsewhere herein.Mobile network platform 510 comprises CS gateway node(s) 512 which caninterface CS traffic received from legacy networks like telephonynetwork(s) 540 (e.g., public switched telephone network (PSTN), orpublic land mobile network (PLMN)) or a signaling system #7 (SS7)network 560. CS gateway node(s) 512 can authorize and authenticatetraffic (e.g., voice) arising from such networks. Additionally, CSgateway node(s) 512 can access mobility, or roaming, data generatedthrough SS7 network 560; for instance, mobility data stored in a visitedlocation register (VLR), which can reside in memory 530. Moreover, CSgateway node(s) 512 interfaces CS-based traffic and signaling and PSgateway node(s) 518. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, CS gatewaynode(s) 512 can be realized at least in part in gateway GPRS supportnode(s) (GGSN). It should be appreciated that functionality and specificoperation of CS gateway node(s) 512, PS gateway node(s) 518, and servingnode(s) 516, is provided and dictated by radio technology/technologiesutilized by mobile network platform 510 for telecommunication over aradio access network 520 with other devices, such as a radiotelephone575.

In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic andsignaling, PS gateway node(s) 518 can authorize and authenticatePS-based data sessions with served mobile devices. Data sessions cancomprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to themobile network platform 510, like wide area network(s) (WANs) 550,enterprise network(s) 570, and service network(s) 580, which can beembodied in local area network(s) (LANs), can also be interfaced withmobile network platform 510 through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to benoted that WANs 550 and enterprise network(s) 570 can embody, at leastin part, a service network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). Basedon radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) orradio access network 520, PS gateway node(s) 518 can generate packetdata protocol contexts when a data session is established; other datastructures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can begenerated. To that end, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 518 cancomprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG) in3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetizedcommunication with disparate wireless network(s), such as Wi-Finetworks.

In embodiment 500, mobile network platform 510 also comprises servingnode(s) 516 that, based upon available radio technology layer(s) withintechnology resource(s) in the radio access network 520, convey thevarious packetized flows of data streams received through PS gatewaynode(s) 518. It is to be noted that for technology resource(s) that relyprimarily on CS communication, server node(s) can deliver trafficwithout reliance on PS gateway node(s) 518; for example, server node(s)can embody at least in part a mobile switching center. As an example, ina 3GPP UMTS network, serving node(s) 516 can be embodied in serving GPRSsupport node(s) (SGSN).

For radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s)514 in mobile network platform 510 can execute numerous applicationsthat can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows,and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format . . . ) such flows. Suchapplication(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (forexample, provisioning, billing, customer support . . . ) provided bymobile network platform 510. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that arepart of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gatewaynode(s) 518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a datasession, and to serving node(s) 516 for communication thereafter. Inaddition to application server, server(s) 514 can comprise utilityserver(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, anoperations and maintenance server, a security server that can implementat least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as othersecurity mechanisms, and the like. In an aspect, security server(s)secure communication served through mobile network platform 510 toensure network's operation and data integrity in addition toauthorization and authentication procedures that CS gateway node(s) 512and PS gateway node(s) 518 can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s)can provision services from external network(s) like networks operatedby a disparate service provider; for instance, WAN 550 or GlobalPositioning System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s)can also provision coverage through networks associated to mobilenetwork platform 510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same serviceprovider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown in FIG. 1(s)that enhance wireless service coverage by providing more networkcoverage.

It is to be noted that server(s) 514 can comprise one or more processorsconfigured to confer at least in part the functionality of mobilenetwork platform 510. To that end, the one or more processor can executecode instructions stored in memory 530, for example. It should beappreciated that server(s) 514 can comprise a content manager, whichoperates in substantially the same manner as described hereinbefore.

In example embodiment 500, memory 530 can store information related tooperation of mobile network platform 510. Other operational informationcan comprise provisioning information of mobile devices served throughmobile network platform 510, subscriber databases; applicationintelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates, flat-rateprograms, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s) consistentwith telecommunication protocols for operation of disparate radio, orwireless, technology layers; and so forth. Memory 530 can also storeinformation from at least one of telephony network(s) 540, WAN 550, SS7network 560, or enterprise network(s) 570. In an aspect, memory 530 canbe, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as aremotely connected memory store.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIG. 5, and the following discussion, are intended toprovide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in whichthe various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented.While the subject matter has been described above in the general contextof computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on acomputer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize thatthe disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination withother program modules. Generally, program modules comprise routines,programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particulartasks and/or implement particular abstract data types.

Turning now to FIG. 6, an illustrative embodiment of a communicationdevice 600 is shown. The communication device 600 can serve as anillustrative embodiment of devices such as data terminals 114, mobiledevices 124, vehicle 126, display devices 144 or other client devicesfor communication via either communications network 125. For example,computing device 600 can facilitate in whole or in part obtaining afirst identification of a gaming application, obtaining a secondidentification of at least one peripheral device associated with anexecution of the gaming application, wherein the second identificationis based on the first identification, associating the secondidentification of the at least one peripheral device with a threshold,monitoring at least one input received from the at least one peripheraldevice during the execution of the gaming application to determinewhether the at least one input exceeds the threshold, and responsive todetermining that the at least one input exceeds the threshold, storing athird identification of a user in association with the at least oneinput. Computing device 600 can facilitate in whole or in part receivinga selection of an application included in a plurality of applications,obtaining a first identification of a user and a second identificationof a device associated with an execution of the application, presentinga simulation of an execution of the application to facilitate ageneration of a model associated with the first identification and thesecond identification, executing the application subsequent to thepresenting of the simulation, receiving at least one input from thedevice during the executing of the application, and obtaining avalidation request based on a comparison of the at least one input andthe model. Computing device 600 can facilitate in whole or in partcomparing an input received from a peripheral device associated with anexecution of a gaming application with a threshold value, wherein thethreshold value is based on a first identification of a first user, asecond identification of the peripheral device, and a thirdidentification of stimuli presented as part of the execution of thegaming application, responsive to the comparing, determining that theinput exceeds the threshold value, and responsive to the determining,transmitting, a validation request to a user device of the first user.

The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, apower supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, anorientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth®and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies caninclude, for example, CDMA-1×, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO,WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 602 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting, for example, Bluetooth®. The keypad 608can represent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In anembodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 withnavigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interfacehaving graphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by auser with a touch of a finger. The display 610 can be equipped withcapacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology to detect howmuch surface area of a user's finger has been placed on a portion of thetouch screen display. This sensing information can be used to controlthe manipulation of the GUI elements or other functions of the userinterface. The display 610 can be an integral part of the housingassembly of the communication device 600 or an independent devicecommunicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (suchas a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 600 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable communications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 600.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 600 can include a slot for adding or removing an identity modulesuch as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card or Universal IntegratedCircuit Card (UICC). SIM or UICC cards can be used for identifyingsubscriber services, executing programs, storing subscriber data, and soon.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, as used in theclaims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity only anddoesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. For instance, “afirst determination,” “a second determination,” and “a thirddetermination,” does not indicate or imply that the first determinationis to be made before the second determination, or vice versa, etc.

In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “datastore,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any otherinformation storage component relevant to operation and functionality ofa component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a“memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciatedthat the memory components described herein can be either volatilememory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile andnonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatilememory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. Further,nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (ROM),programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory cancomprise random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cachememory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available inmany forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM),synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhancedSDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methodsherein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising,these and any other suitable types of memory.

Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can bepracticed with other computer system configurations, comprisingsingle-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computingdevices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-heldcomputing devices (e.g., PDA, phone, smartphone, watch, tabletcomputers, netbook computers, etc.), microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. Theillustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network; however, some if not allaspects of the subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alonecomputers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules canbe located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

In one or more embodiments, information regarding use of services can begenerated including services being accessed, media consumption history,user preferences, and so forth. This information can be obtained byvarious methods including user input, detecting types of communications(e.g., video content vs. audio content), analysis of content streams,sampling, and so forth. The generating, obtaining and/or monitoring ofthis information can be responsive to an authorization provided by theuser. In one or more embodiments, an analysis of data can be subject toauthorization from user(s) associated with the data, such as an opt-in,an opt-out, acknowledgement requirements, notifications, selectiveauthorization based on types of data, and so forth.

Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificialintelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more featuresdescribed herein. The embodiments (e.g., in connection withautomatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a maximumvalue/benefit after addition to an existing communication network) canemploy various AI-based schemes for carrying out various embodimentsthereof. Moreover, the classifier can be employed to determine a rankingor priority of each cell site of the acquired network. A classifier is afunction that maps an input attribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, . . . ,xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is,f(x)=confidence (class). Such classification can employ a probabilisticand/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysisutilities and costs) to determine or infer an action that a user desiresto be automatically performed. A support vector machine (SVM) is anexample of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM operates byfinding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which thehypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from thenon-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classificationcorrect for testing data that is near, but not identical to trainingdata. Other directed and undirected model classification approachescomprise, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, neuralnetworks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification modelsproviding different patterns of independence can be employed.Classification as used herein also is inclusive of statisticalregression that is utilized to develop models of priority.

As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments canemploy classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generictraining data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing UEbehavior, operator preferences, historical information, receivingextrinsic information). For example, SVMs can be configured via alearning or training phase within a classifier constructor and featureselection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automaticallylearn and perform a number of functions, including but not limited todetermining according to predetermined criteria which of the acquiredcell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which ofthe acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existingcommunication network coverage, etc.

As used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, theterms “component,” “system” and the like are intended to refer to, orcomprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to anoperational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, whereinthe entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. As an example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By wayof illustration and not limitation, both an application running on aserver and the server can be a component. One or more components mayreside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component maybe localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or morecomputers. In addition, these components can execute from variouscomputer readable media having various data structures stored thereon.The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such asin accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., datafrom one component interacting with another component in a local system,distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet withother systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be anapparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical partsoperated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by asoftware or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein theprocessor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes atleast a part of the software or firmware application. As yet anotherexample, a component can be an apparatus that provides specificfunctionality through electronic components without mechanical parts,the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to executesoftware or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality ofthe electronic components. While various components have beenillustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiplecomponents can be implemented as a single component, or a singlecomponent can be implemented as multiple components, without departingfrom example embodiments.

Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method,apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/orengineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or anycombination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosedsubject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein isintended to encompass a computer program accessible from anycomputer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communicationsmedia. For example, computer readable storage media can include, but arenot limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk,magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digitalversatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g.,card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art willrecognize many modifications can be made to this configuration withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.

In addition, the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to meanserving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or designdescribed herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments ordesigns. Rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended topresent concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, theterm “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive“or”. That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “Xemploys A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusivepermutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both Aand B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoinginstances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in thisapplication and the appended claims should generally be construed tomean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context tobe directed to a singular form.

Moreover, terms such as “user equipment,” “mobile station,” “mobile,”subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal,” “handset,” “mobiledevice” (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to awireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wirelesscommunication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video,sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. Theforegoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with referenceto the related drawings.

Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer” andthe like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless contextwarrants particular distinctions among the terms. It should beappreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automatedcomponents supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacityto make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms),which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.

As employed herein, the term “processor” can refer to substantially anycomputing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited tocomprising, single-core processors; single-processors with softwaremultithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-coreprocessors with software multithread execution capability; multi-coreprocessors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; andparallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, aprocessor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), acomplex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. Processors can exploitnano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular andquantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimizespace usage or enhance performance of user equipment. A processor canalso be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

As used herein, terms such as “data storage,” data storage,” “database,”and substantially any other information storage component relevant tooperation and functionality of a component, refer to “memorycomponents,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprisingthe memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components orcomputer-readable storage media, described herein can be either volatilememory or nonvolatile memory or can include both volatile andnonvolatile memory.

What has been described above includes mere examples of variousembodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes ofdescribing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art canrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the presentembodiments are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/orclaimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes”is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term isintended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as“comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in aclaim.

In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue”indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that thesteps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used inconjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates thebeginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by otheractivities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indicationreflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/ormay be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further,while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, otherorderings are likewise possible provided that the principles ofcausality are maintained.

As may also be used herein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupledto”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/orindirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. Suchitems and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions,communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functionalblocks, and/or devices. As an example of indirect coupling, a signalconveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one ormore intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format ofinformation in a signal, while one or more elements of the informationin the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can berecognized by the second item. In a further example of indirectcoupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the seconditem, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more interveningitems.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all of the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations, the operations comprising: obtaining a first identificationof a gaming application associated with a game; obtaining a secondidentification of at least one peripheral device associated with anexecution of the gaming application, wherein the second identificationis based on the first identification; associating the secondidentification of the at least one peripheral device with a threshold;monitoring at least one input received from the at least one peripheraldevice during the execution of the gaming application to determinewhether the at least one input exceeds the threshold; responsive todetermining that the at least one input exceeds the threshold, storing athird identification of a user in association with the at least oneinput; and responsive to determining that the threshold is exceeded,modifying an execution of the gaming application, wherein the modifyingof the execution of the gaming application causes the at least one inputnot to exceed the threshold when the user plays in the game subsequentto the at least one input exceeding the threshold.
 2. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: establishing a modelof the execution of the gaming application based on a simulation of thegaming application; and establishing a value for the threshold based onthe model.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the operations furthercomprise: associating the model with the third identification of theuser.
 4. The device of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:modifying the model based on the at least one input to generate amodified model; and applying the modified model during a subsequentexecution of the gaming application to determine whether the at leastone input exceeds a second threshold that is different from thethreshold.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise: presenting a validation request.
 6. The device of claim 5,wherein the presenting of the validation request comprises presentingthe validation request to the user, and wherein the operations furthercomprise: receiving a response to the validation request from the user.7. The device of claim 5, wherein the presenting of the validationrequest comprises presenting the validation request to a component ofthe device, and wherein the operations further comprise: receiving aresponse to the validation request from the component, wherein theresponse to the validation request is not based on user input.
 8. Thedevice of claim 5, wherein the presenting of the validation request isresponsive to determining that the at least one input exceeds thethreshold.
 9. The device of claim 5, wherein the presenting of thevalidation request causes an activation of a sensor that monitors theuser, an environment where the user is located, or a combinationthereof.
 10. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprisingexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processing systemincluding a processor, facilitate performance of operations, theoperations comprising: receiving a selection of an application includedin a plurality of applications; obtaining a first identification of afirst user and a second identification of a device associated with anexecution of the application; presenting a simulation of an execution ofthe application to generate a model; associating the model with thefirst identification and the second identification; executing theapplication subsequent to the presenting of the simulation; receiving atleast one input from the device during the executing of the application;responsive to the receiving of the at least one input, obtaining avalidation request based on a comparison of the at least one input andthe model; responsive to the receiving of the at least one input,polling a second user and a third user; and determining a probabilitythat the first user is engaging in an unauthorized activity based on thepolling.
 11. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10,wherein the application is one of a gaming application, a votingapplication, a test taking application, or a finance application. 12.The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein theoperations further comprise: presenting the validation request to thefirst user; and receiving a response to the validation request from thefirst user.
 13. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10,wherein the operations further comprise: causing an activation of atleast one sensor responsive to obtaining the validation request, whereinthe at least one sensor comprises a camera, a microphone, a biometricsensor, or a combination thereof.
 14. The non-transitory,machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations furthercomprise: performing an integrity test on a component of the deviceresponsive to obtaining the validation request; and transmitting aresult associated with the performing of the integrity test to a server,wherein the component is included in a gaming console, a peripheraldevice coupled to the gaming console, or a combination thereof, andwherein the validation request is based on a probability of cheating bya macro, hacked code, or software assistance exceeding a threshold. 15.A method, comprising: comparing, by a processing system including aprocessor, an input received from a peripheral device associated with anexecution of a gaming application with a threshold value, wherein thethreshold value is based on a first identification of a first user, asecond identification of the peripheral device, and a thirdidentification of stimuli presented as part of the execution of thegaming application; responsive to the comparing, determining, by theprocessing system, that the input exceeds the threshold value;responsive to the determining, transmitting, by the processing system, avalidation request to a user device of the first user; responsive to thecomparing, identifying, by the processing system, a second user thatlikely generated the input received from the peripheral device, whereinthe identifying of the second user is based on a model generated duringat least one simulation of the execution of the gaming application inwhich the first user and the second user participated; and transmitting,by the processing system, a message on a social media platform thatidentifies the first user and the second user in association with theexecution of the gaming application.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinthe user device is coupled to the peripheral device, the method furthercomprising: receiving, by the processing system, a response to thevalidation request, wherein the response comprises data originating froma sensor that monitors the first user, an environment where the firstuser is located, or a combination thereof, wherein the responsecomprises user feedback, and wherein the user feedback is based on aquery included in the validation request.
 17. The non-transitory,machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations furthercomprise: responsive to the receiving of the at least one input,limiting an ability of the first user to engage in communication duringthe executing of the application.
 18. The non-transitory,machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations furthercomprise: monitoring traffic in a network; and identifying, inaccordance with the monitoring of the traffic, an abnormality in termsof a pattern or volume of data traversing the network exceeding athreshold.
 19. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10,wherein the determining of the probability that the first user isengaging in an unauthorized activity comprises determining a probabilitythat the first user is receiving unauthorized assistance from a fourthuser.
 20. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10,wherein the operations further comprise: responsive to the receiving ofthe at least one input, transmitting a message that causes a posting ona social media platform, wherein the posting identifies the first userand the application.